DeMeritt, Rams ready for Isaac-delayed season to start

WESTLAKE — Hurricane Isaac may not have done much damage to the area, but it did delay the start of the Shawn DeMeritt era
at Westlake.

DeMeritt was set to make his Rams debut last Friday night, but the flooding from Isaac forced cancellation of the game against
New Orleans McMain.

At first the game was reset for last Sunday, but Mother Nature had other ideas. So DeMeritt’s first game will instead be at
home this week against Abbeville.

“It is disappointing for everybody,” said DeMeritt. “It is what it is, but you do want to get out there and play.

“I’m disappointed for the kids. I have been doing this for 15 years so this is not my first game, but the kids want to play.”

The cancellation means the Rams will play only nine regular season games this year.

“You want the kids to play as much as possible,” said DeMeritt. “You don’t want to have them get short changed. However, I
think we all understand there are more important things in life and this was nothing we could control.”

While it is a life lesson, it is a tough one for players who have a limited number of games left in their high school careers.

Since the game was a nondistrict contest, it will likely have little if any effect on the Rams playoff chances. They are still
hoping to make a strong playoff run in DeMeritt’s first season.

However, all eyes will be on the sidelines this Friday when the DeMeritt era finally kicks off. That’s all part of the game
when you are the first new head coach in the last 35 years at a school.

“It’s all part of the excitement,” said DeMeritt.

The coach added that the team got in two extra days of practice and tried to make the most of the situation.

The Rams had a few bumps and bruises that were able to heal, which should help them in the long run. However, they are also
ready to play.

“You have to worry about being too excited with everything going on,” said DeMeritt. “These kids have been going at it for
a month now and they are ready to hit the field.